Telehealth and Physical Therapy Clinical Decision Making in a Patient with a Falcine Meningioma

Telehealth utilizes information technologies and communication networks to deliver healthcare and education with lower costs and improved access, quality, and efficiency of healthcare services. This report describes the application of telehealth for medical screening, clinical decision making, and medical referral in a physical therapy practice. The patient described was a 50-year old man who contacted his physical therapist via telephone for a chief complaint of worsening left sided numbness and tingling that began insidiously 2 days prior. Further questioning revealed that the patient also complained of left ankle weakness, and slight unsteadiness with walking. He had not been feeling well and had been experiencing increasing bouts of unexplained fatigue over the previous two months that were now interfering with his work and recreational activities. The patient was evaluated by his physician the next day. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a large (4 cm) falcine meningioma in the right parietal region. The patient was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon and underwent a craniotomy and tumor resection ten days later and subsequent gamma knife radiosurgery of the residual tumor bed two months after craniotomy and tumor resection. Follow-up imaging one year later revealed no evidence of recurrence or residual tumor. This patient case underscores the importance of recognizing signs and symptoms of serious disease, and how referral following telehealth via telephone can inform diagnosis.

Is Falcine Meningioma a Diffuse Disease of the Falx? Case Series and Analysis of a “Grade Zero” Resection

BACKGROUND Falcine meningiomas have unique characteristics including their high rates of recurrence, association with high grade pathology, increased male prevalence, and potential for diffuse involvement of the falx. OBJECTIVE To address these issues in a substantial series of falcine meningiomas and report on the impact of extent of resection for this distinct meningioma entity. METHODS Retrospective analysis of characteristics and outcomes of 59 falcine meningioma patients who underwent surgery with the senior author. A “Grade Zero” category was used when an additional resection margin of 2 to 3 cm from the tumor insertion was achieved. RESULTS For de novo falcine meningiomas, gross total resection (GTR) was associated with significantly decreased recurrence incidence compared with subtotal resection (P ≤ .0001). For recurrent falcine meningiomas, median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved for GTR cases (37 mo vs 12 mo; P = .017, hazard ratio (HR) .243 (.077-.774)). “Grade Zero” resection demonstrated excellent durability for both de novo and recurrent cases, and PFS was significantly improved with “Grade Zero” resection for recurrent cases (P = .003, HR 1.544 (1.156-2.062)). The PFS benefit of “Grade Zero” resection did not achieve statistical significance over Simpson grade 1 during the limited follow-up period (mean 2.8 yr) for these groups. CONCLUSION The recurrence of falcine meningiomas is related to the diffuse presence of tumor between the leaflets of the falx. Increased extent of resection including, when possible, a clear margin of falx surrounding the tumor base was associated with the best long-term outcomes in our series, particularly for recurrent tumors.

Contralateral Interhemispheric Approach for Resection of A Meningioma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

The contralateral interhemispheric approach is utilized to provide the surgeon with a favorable trajectory for approaching lesions projecting contralaterally from the midline falcine dura. The contralateral approach also requires a less rigid retraction than other approaches, which is paramount when manipulating the eloquent cortex of the paracentral lobule. This patient had a large laterally projecting falcine meningioma. This case demonstrates well the effect that gravity has on the tumor, pulling the tumor medially into the surgeon's view and making the surgical approach ideal for this lesion. The lesion was removed en bloc with the falcine dura, and postoperative imaging demonstrated a gross total resection. The patient gave informed consent for surgery and video recording. Institutional review board approval was deemed unnecessary. Used with permission from Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona.

Wasting of calf muscle and spastic foot drop caused by falcine meningioma in 22 -year adult male: revisit of uncommon but important localizing sign

Wasting of muscle is usually a feature of lower motor neuron pathology, astonishingly parasagittal intracranial lesion affecting parietal lobe of cerebral hemisphere may be associated with Wasting of contralateral calf muscle. It can be associated with spastic foot drop. Foot drop is a common neurological state presenting with weakness involving anterior tibialis muscle causing inability of foot extension. Foot drop is commonly caused lower motor neuron disease pathology and a common cause includes L4-L5 radiculopathy or peroneal peripheral neuropathy. However, extremely rarely can be caused by intracranial pathology e.g. falcine meningioma and represents an important localization sign. Authors report an interesting case of calf muscle wasting caused by falcine meningioma, which may escape detection to remind rare but extremely important neurological localizing sign and ask for through and further neurological evaluation prior to concluding a final neurological diagnosis.

Occult falcine meningioma unmasked following nearly complete hemorrhagic transformation with resultant spontaneous acute interhemispheric subdural hematoma

ABSTRACTSudden-onset monoplegia with features of vomiting and headache usually signals an intracranial cerebrovascular event. We describe a 62-year-old man in whom this presentation was the result of the rare occurrence of an almost complete hemorrhagic transformation of a falcine meningioma with resultant acute interhemispheric subdural hematoma, and discuss the risk factors and possible mechanisms that may lead to such an event. The need for careful examination of the available radiology and aggressive tumor removal is stressed.